PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Florida is experiencing a dramatic decline in foster homes, with a 24% drop over three years, leaving child advocates concerned for the future.
"Kids are coming into care at a higher rate than we have beds to place them in," Amanda Capalbo, who works at Camelot Community Care, said.
WATCH BELOW: Florida foster homes decline, advocates seek community support
WPTV listened to Capalbo at our most recent Let's Hear It meet-up in North Palm Beach. Her job is to get children placed in safe and loving homes.
"We need people to learn what it takes to be a foster parent. There is a lot of fear and a lot of questions," Capalbo said.
To help overcome those fears, training is offered over Zoom to allow flexibility for interested adults.
"Our foster parents get extensive training and a lot of skills and resources in how to deal with the trauma that comes with these kiddos," Capalbo said.
Advocates stress the importance of stepping up for older children in the system.
"If we can put one loving adult in some of these older kids' lives, their lives can be drastically changed forever," Capalbo said.
It is not only foster parents who are needed, but also peer groups to provide support. WPTV recently caught up with Danielle Day, a senior at Jupiter High School, who started a chapter of Speak Up For Kids.
"Children in foster care go through so much instability," Day said.
Her own experience caring for a younger sibling led her to help other teens.
"Organize support drives so we've done food drives for Thanksgiving to get them food on the table," Day said.
Capalbo noted that the benefits of helping foster children go beyond the individual.
"We're not changing a life, we're changing a city, a community, the world. Because these are our future leaders," Capalbo said.
Click here for more information on how to get involved.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
We want to be your voice and help you find solutions.
While we hold our monthly Let's Hear It meet-ups, we know many are not able to attend, but we still want to hear from you and start taking action to get you answers. You can e-mail us at LetsHearIt@wptv.com.
